Platinum vs. Titanium for Engagement and Wedding Rings – Which Is Better?

If you’re leaning towards a silver hue as
the color of your future engagement or wedding ring, platinum and titanium are two
excellent metals to look at.

And for good reasons:

Both platinum and titanium are great choices
for this type of jewelry as they have a stylish, contemporary color, they fit
with many different styles and they are both durable for daily wear.

While there are a lot of similarities
between these two metals there are also quite a few differences that distinguish
them. Here’s a look at the similarities and differences between platinum and
titanium and which is the better option for your rings.

What Is Platinum?

One of the most famous precious metals on
the planet, platinum has been used in jewelry for millennia. Platinum is valued
more than gold due to its rarity and properties.

Platinum doesn’t tarnish, fade or corrode,
and it’s very durable, as well as hypoallergenic. All of these qualities make
it an excellent metal for most types of jewelry, including engagement and
wedding rings. However, it can develop a patina over time which comes from the
dents and scratches the ring acquires when exposed daily.

The platinum you’ll find in jewelry is an
alloy, mixed with other metals such as palladium, copper, iridium and cobalt.
The reason for this is simply to make the platinum more workable and malleable
as it wouldn’t be suitable for certain more complex designs or gemstone
settings otherwise.

Still, even with it being an alloy, most
common platinum alloys in jewelry have a high purity of at least 85% to 95%.

What is Titanium?

Titanium is one of several whitish metals that’s been actively used in jewelry in the last 20-30 years as a less expensive alternative of platinum. It was in the 90s that the platinum’s white became a popular choice for engagement and wedding rings but the high price of platinum was a problem for a lot of shoppers. Enter – titanium.

Titanium isn’t a new metal but it’s
relatively new compared to platinum. It was discovered in 1791 and was named
after the Titans of Greek mythology because of its incredible strength and
durability.

Even though it was discovered relatively
recently, titanium turned out to be quite abundant– it’s the 9th
most commonly found metal in the Earth’s crust. For comparison – platinum ranks
78th in this regard, hence it’s steep price.

Titanium may be affordable, but it’s
definitely not a metal that should be looked down upon. It has a very high
strength-to-density which makes it exceptionally durable, it’s resistant to
corrosion, it’s hypoallergenic and very hard to scratch or crack.

Most titanium alloys used in jewelry are a
mix of 90% titanium and 10% aluminum and vanadium as without these two
inclusions, titanium alone would be unworkable for jewelers.

The strength of titanium is both an
advantage and a disadvantage, however, as it’s so hard that it’s
near-impossible to resize, Even in an alloy, titanium is still too hard to
shape into gemstone settings or certain fancy ring designs so for those
elements, jewelers usually use other metals on top of the titanium base of the
ring.

Titanium vs. Platinum

So, now that we’re familiar with our two
contenders, which is better for your engagement or wedding rings? If we go by
price alone it’s easy to reach the conclusion that platinum is much better and
titanium is just its budget-friendly alternative. But this isn’t necessarily
true.

Durability

Both platinum and titanium impress with
their durability and are way ahead of some of their alternatives such as white
gold and silver. Of the two, however, titanium is definitely the harder metal.
It’s significantly harder to scratch a titanium ring than it is to scratch a
ring made out of platinum.

Then again this is can be viewed as a
positive for platinum as it’s hard enough to be scratch-resistant but it’s
still soft enough to be easily fixed and polished if it does get scratched,
deformed or develops a patina.

Titanium, on the other hand, is so hard that if it needs polishing or resizing you might as well get a new ring.

Appearance and Color

Both metals have pretty similar colors – so
much so that most regular shoppers can find it hard to differentiate between
the two with the naked eye. Both of them are naturally grayish and silver in
color but can also be anodized into other colors – typically black. They can also be given a more satin finish and
texture with the right polish.

Titanium retains its luster more easily
throughout the years while platinum can develop a patina after a while. This
can be polished off but it’s something to contend with.

Value

Of course, platinum is considered much more
valuable than titanium – as with the value of most other precious metals and
gemstones, its rarity is the main driving factor of its high value. As we’ve
shown, however, platinum is much more than just rare – it’s durability,
corrosion- and scratch-resistance, and its long-lasting luster make it a
valuable metal in and of itself. A nice platinum engagement or wedding ring is
something that you’ll be able to pass down to the next generation in your
family or to keep as an heirloom.

Titanium, on the other hand doesn’t have
this value. It’s a much more affordable metal making it an excellent choice for
a budget option. It’s not heirloom quality and not something that will hold a
lot of value to turn into an heirloom.

Weight

Surprisingly, platinum and titanium are
quite different in this regard – titanium is eerily lightweight, while platinum
is much heavier and more solid. Which one you’d prefer is entirely subjective –
some people like the lightweight feel of the titanium, which almost feels like
you’re not wearing a ring.

On the other hand, the heavy feel of a
platinum ring is a positive for some people who like the substantial feel of a
heavier ring.

Hypoallergenic

One major positive that both metals share
is that they are hypoallergenic – unlike many other metals and alloys used in
jewelry, both titanium and platinum are essentially guaranteed to not cause any
skin irritations and allergies.

This sets them apart from most other
jewelry metals which can cause skin reactions in a lot of people. Titanium, in
particular, as the cheaper of the two metals, is even used for surgical
implants and body jewelry because it is 100% bio-compatible with all people.

Jewelry applications and designs

Now that we’ve established what the major
differences between the two metals are, let’s briefly examine what the
differences between platinum rings and titanium rings are when used in jewelry.

Both metals are quite popular in engagement
and wedding rings, however, platinum also has a lot of applications in other
types of jewelry – necklaces, earrings, bracelets and more. Titanium is almost
never seen in those types of jewelry because it’s not malleable enough to be
crafted in complex designs – that’s why you’ll mostly see titanium in the rings
section and not anywhere else.

Furthermore, titanium rings tend to be
plainer in their design – no extravagant ornaments, no fanciful settings –
this, too, is because of how hard the metal is. If you want a titanium ring
with a pronounced gemstone setting or design, it will likely need to be done
with an additional metal on top of the titanium base.

Additionally, expect to find more men’s
titanium rings than women’s rings. That’s likely due to several different
factors – men prefer rings with plainer designs, they tend to like that
titanium rings are easy to ignore on the hand, and they also usually appreciate
the fact that titanium rings are extra-sturdy and durable which works well for
certain professions. For women, on the other hand, the value of platinum is
often the deciding factor.

Still, both metals are used for engagement and wedding rings for both men and women, so, whichever metal suits your needs and preferences more – go for it!